Looking Back

Published
9:55 pm EDT, Tuesday, July 4, 2017

On this date in ...

1917: West Albany, most of which was made up of potato patches, was being ravaged by the infestation of wire worms, whose devastation was putting to shame that of the hated potato bug. Paris green had proved to be the most effective weapon against potato bugs, but the insecticide was now selling for 50 cents a pound. Luckily for farmers, it was discovered that the much less expensive lime worked even better for eradicating the worms.

1967: Dr. Benjamin Norris, chief pathologist of St. Peter's Hospital and a member of the Northeastern New York Red Cross Blood Program's medical advisory committee, donated the symbolic first pint of blood at the opening ceremonies of the program at Bender Laboratory in Albany. The new blood bank had been in operation since July 1 and would serve the 11-county blood program.

1992: The parks, malls and streets of the Capital Region this summer were full of a new group of seasonally unemployed workers: teenagers. With the economy still in the doldrums, many summer jobs had been eliminated and others filled by older unemployed people desperate for any kind of work. In fact, the state's jobless rate rose to 9.2 percent in June, the highest level since 1983.